Definitions for Quill
kwɪlquill

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. quill, quill pennoun

   pen made from a bird's feather

2. quillnoun

   a stiff hollow protective spine on a porcupine or hedgehog

3. flight feather, pinion, quill, quill feathernoun

   any of the larger wing or tail feathers of a bird

4. quill, calamus, shaftnoun

   the hollow spine of a feather

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.0 / 1 vote

1. quillnoun

   The lower shaft of a feather, specifically the region lacking barbs.

2. quillnoun

   A pen made from a feather.

3. quillnoun

   Any pen.

4. quillnoun

   A sharply pointed, barbed, and easily detached needle-like structure that grows on the skin of a porcupine or hedgehog as a defense against predators.

5. quillnoun

   A thin piece of bark, especially of cinnamon or cinchona, curled up into a tube.

6. quillverb

   To pierce or be pierced with quills.

7. quillverb

   To write.

8. quillverb

   To form fabric into small, rounded folds.

9. quillverb

   To decorate with quillwork.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Quillnoun

   1. The hard and strong feather of the wing, of which pens are made.

   Birds have three other hard substances proper to them; the bill, which is of a like matter with the teeth, the shell of the egg, and their quills. Francis Bacon, Nat. History.

   2. The instrument of writing.

   I will only touch the duke’s own deportment in that island, the proper subject of my quill. Henry Wotton, Buckingham.

   Those lives they fail’d to rescue by their skill,
   Their muse would make immortal with her quill. Samuel Garth.

   From him whose quills stand quiver’d at his ear,
   To him that notches sticks at Westminster. Alexander Pope.

   3. Prick or dart of a porcupine.

   Near these was the black prince of Monomotapa, by whose side was seen the quill darting porcupine. Scriblerus Club .

   4. Reed on which weavers wind their threads.

   The presumptuous damsel rashly dar’d
   The goddess’ self to challenge to the field,
   And to compare with her in curious skill,
   Of works with loom, with needle, and with quill. Edmund Spenser.

   5. The instrument with which musicians strike their strings.

   His flying fingers and harmonious quill
   Strike sev’n distinguish’d notes, and sev’n at once they fill. John Dryden, Æneis.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Quill

   A quill is a writing tool made from a moulted flight feather (preferably a primary wing-feather) of a large bird. Quills were used for writing with ink before the invention of the dip pen, the metal-nibbed pen, the fountain pen, and, eventually, the ballpoint pen. As with the earlier reed pen (and later dip pen), a quill has no internal ink reservoir and therefore needs to periodically be dipped into an inkwell during writing. The hand-cut goose quill is rarely used as a calligraphy tool anymore because many papers are now derived from wood pulp and would quickly wear a quill down. However, it is still the tool of choice for a few scribes who have noted that quills provide an unmatched sharp stroke as well as greater flexibility than a steel pen.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. quill

   A quill is a writing tool made from a bird's feather, primarily used in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The hollow shaft of the feather acts as the ink reservoir and is drawn up into it by capillary action. The pointy end is cut into a nib for writing. Quill can also refer to the hollow stem part of a feather from any large bird used for decorative purposes or as a part of various tools.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Quillnoun

   one of the large feathers of a bird's wing, or one of the rectrices of the tail; also, the stock of such a feather

2. Quillnoun

   a pen for writing made by sharpening and splitting the point or nib of the stock of a feather; as, history is the proper subject of his quill

3. Quillnoun

   a spine of the hedgehog or porcupine

4. Quillnoun

   the pen of a squid. See Pen

5. Quillnoun

   the plectrum with which musicians strike the strings of certain instruments

6. Quillnoun

   the tube of a musical instrument

7. Quillnoun

   something having the form of a quill

8. Quillnoun

   the fold or plain of a ruff

9. Quillnoun

   a spindle, or spool, as of reed or wood, upon which the thread for the woof is wound in a shuttle

10. Quillnoun

    a hollow spindle

11. Quillverb

    to plaint in small cylindrical ridges, called quillings; as, to quill a ruffle

12. Quillverb

    to wind on a quill, as thread or yarn

13. Etymology: [Perhaps fr. F. quille ninepin (see Kayless); but cf. also G. kiel a quill. MHG. kil, and Ir. cuille a quill.]

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Quill

   A quill pen is a writing implement made from a moulted flight feather of a large bird. Quills were used for writing with ink before the invention of the dip pen, the metal-nibbed pen, the fountain pen, and, eventually, the ballpoint pen. The hand-cut goose quill is still used as a calligraphy tool, however rarely because many papers are now derived from wood pulp and wear down the quill very quickly. It is still the tool of choice for a few professionals and provides an unmatched sharp stroke as well as greater flexibility than a steel pen. In a carefully prepared quill the slit does not widen through wetting and drying with ink. It will retain its shape adequately and only requires infrequent sharpening and can be used time and time again until there is little left of it. The hollow shaft of the feather acts as an ink reservoir and ink flows to the tip by capillary action. The strongest quills come from the primary flight feathers discarded by birds during their annual moult. Generally the left wing is favored by the right-handed majority of writers because the feather curves away from the sight line, over the back of the hand, although because of the modern scarcity of substantial quills this is rarely a consideration as the curvature is not actually so pronounced as to cause any difficulty in the writing process.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Quill

   kwil, n. a fold of a plaited or fluted ruff.—v.t. to flute: form with rounded ridges.—adj. Quilled, crimped, fluted.—n. Quill′ing, a narrow bordering of plaited lace or ribbon. [Fr. quille, a keel.]

2. Quill

   kwil, n. a reed-pen: the feather of a goose or other bird used as a pen, hence a pen generally: the profession of letters: anything like a quill: the hollow basal stem of a feather: one of the large hollow sharp spines (modified hairs) of the hedgehog, porcupine, &c.: the reed on which weavers wind their thread: the instrument for striking the strings of certain instruments: the tube of a musical instrument: the hollow shaft or mandril of the seal-engraver's lathe: a train for igniting a blast: bark in a cylindrical roll.—v.t. to plait with small ridges like quills: to wind on a quill: to pluck out quills from.—ns. Quill′-driv′er (slang), one who works with a quill or pen, a clerk; Quill′-driv′ing, writing.—adj. Quilled, furnished with quills, or formed into a quill.—ns. Quill′-nib, a quill-pen shortened for use with a holder; Quill′-turn, the machine in which a weaver's quill is turned; Quill′-work, embroidery with porcupine quills, done by the North American Indians; Quill′-wort, any plant of the genus Isoëtes, esp. Isoëtes lacustris.—In the quill (Shak.), perhaps=penned, though others interpret 'in form and order like a quilled ruff.' [Explained by Skeat as orig. a stalk, hence anything pointed, O. Fr. quille, a peg—Old High Ger. kegil or chegil (Ger. kegel), a cone-shaped object, ninepin.]

Surnames Frequency by Census RecordsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. QUILL

   According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Quill is ranked #18337 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
   
   The Quill surname appeared 1,511 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 would have the surname Quill.
   
   85% or 1,285 total occurrences were White.
   6.3% or 96 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
   3.7% or 57 total occurrences were Black.
   2.3% or 35 total occurrences were of two or more races.
   1.3% or 21 total occurrences were Asian.
   1.1% or 17 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.

Matched Categories

1. • Feather
   • Pen
   • Rib
   • Spine

How to pronounce Quill?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say Quill in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Quill in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Quill in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of Quill in a Sentence

1. Kensington Palace:

   It is customary for Supporters of the shield to be assigned to Members of the Royal Family, and for wives of Members of the Royal Family to have one of their husband's Supporters and one relating to themselves, the Supporter relating to The Duchess of Sussex is a songbird with wings elevated as if flying and an open beak, which with the quill represents the power of communication.

2. AMYNE E. QASEM:

   If we give the bureaucrats absolute power, in the coming years will see the government uses the quill instead of the pen .

3. Cat Ellington:

   Nearly everything I do is independent. It's my nature, what being fiercely independent. And publishing my written works of literature under my own imprint—Quill Pen Ink Publishing—is no different.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=Quill
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Quill
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=Quill
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quill
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Quill
7. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=Quill
8. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=Quill
9. ^ Surnames Frequency by Census Records
   https://www.census.gov/topics/population/genealogy/data/2010_surnames.html